Being the only one in the household to watch my diet...

Sweetie_1103 · July 2015

I have tried to look through as much threads as I could and did not find this so if there is already a post on this, please let me know.

I am wondering how people are dealing when no one else in the house is watching their diet/calories. I have started working with MFP but my husband is not interested in changing his diet at all, still eating chips often and wanting to eat out a lot. I can't impose these changes on him so I was wondering if you guys and gals had any tips on how to make it work... not give in... find some sort of middle ground?

editorgrrl · July 2015

You can eat anything in moderation and still lose weight—even chips. Deprivation only leads to bingeing.

You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn, so learn to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Logging is simple, but it ain't easy. Logging works.

Azexas · July 2015

It's definitely a balancing act. You kind have to just focus on you. Do you primarily do the cooking?

When going out to restaurants, many places have their menu and nutritional information on the internet so you can look it up before you go. You can pick meals that would suit your calorie and macro needs.

kami3006 · July 2015

I have a picky husband and an autistic teenager who is very specific about what she eats. I just make the same things I've always made for us, but I weigh out mine on the food scale so I can watch portions. I often make an extra side dish for myself as I'm the primary vegetable eater in the house. It wasn't hard to find a good balance and it didn't upset anyone's routine.

BradW99 · July 2015

Self control. Lots and lots of self control.

philiesgrl22 · July 2015

I have. Similar problem with my BF. He is skinny as a stick, and can eat what ever and whenever and nothing changes for him. I try to do my best when I'm with him, but it is VERY hard at times. I think the best thing is to have the support of others that are in the same position.

opalle · July 2015

I'm the only one trying to lose in my household too and my partner loves his sweets and chips. He's very active at his job so he's hungry for a hearty supper since he burns so much at work.

I also still make what he likes and just eat portions that still fit in my calorie limits. Logging my food has really shown me it isn't what I was eating but how much I was eating that's the problem. For the junk food, I try to occupy myself when he is munching. I'll take the dog for a walk, or go have a nice hot bath, or go read in another room.... I hope soon I won't have to remove myself for willpower but I'm taking baby steps this time round.

JanolaBarbara · July 2015

My hubby is trim and can eat anything and not gain weight. However, I'm lucky in that he supports me and my nutrition goals.

What I do is make us the same dinner, but then...
1) Serve myself a smaller portion, which I log.
2) I steam myself extra veggies so that I can feel like I'm eating. And, I'm not just sitting there while he still eats.
3) Or, I'll have a rice cake (or 2) and laughing cow cheese with dinner.
4) If the meal is light on calories, I'll just add more fat (ie: calories) to my hubby's in the form of half an avocado, cheese, oil, etc.

As for eating out, like someone else said, I usually go online and choose my food and log it before we go. That way, I'm less likely to order something else.

Be sure to get your exercise in! It will generate a few more calories you can eat.

pearso21123 · July 2015

I concur with what others have already said. If I'm cooking for the whole family (hubby + 4 kids), I make the meal as usual but I change what I eat. So, if I make macaroni and cheese, which the whole family loves, I just don't take any or take a very small amount. I also make sure to make a pot of vegetables, which I fill my plate with. I'm careful when making the foods I know I'm going to eat the most of, so I don't add extra calories (like butter or cheese) while cooking. I keep healthy snacks in the house for myself so I'm not tempted by his junk food. Luckily, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so it's not that hard for me to resist.

Also, I slowly switched his junk to healthier versions, where possible. In most cases, he never noticed the difference.

Don't give up. It is possible. You may even be pleasantly surprised with what happens. As I made changes, they slowly infected the rest of the family. Probably because I do all of the shopping. As we had more and more healthy choices in the house, the rest of the family slowly started eating a healthier diet. I tried not to say I was on a diet, just that I was trying to be healthier. And they responded by trying to be healthier, too! No force involved, just following my example.

faithyang · July 2015

Sweetie_1103 wrote: »

I have tried to look through as much threads as I could and did not find this so if there is already a post on this, please let me know.

I am wondering how people are dealing when no one else in the house is watching their diet/calories. I have started working with MFP but my husband is not interested in changing his diet at all, still eating chips often and wanting to eat out a lot. I can't impose these changes on him so I was wondering if you guys and gals had any tips on how to make it work... not give in... find some sort of middle ground?

Ack! Glad to know someone else has the same 'issues' as I do, and the rest of the posters responses here seem to also indicate its a common challenge!

My hubby like some above tend to also be very 'free flowing' with his diet. He eats 1-3 massive meals a day with soft drinks, interspersed lots of full fat milky coffees with lots of sugar and finishes the day with chocolates or/and biscuits.

Its quite hard as well as he only eats very rich foods and I don't want to impose my preference for lighter food on him.

When cooking at home I tend to make my own foods and then freeze them and serve them to myself separate from his meals which I cook fresh because his food takes time to make. So there's not too much problem there. Whether I cook for the both of us or just for him I've tried reducing the amount of oil I use, and hiding lots of veggies in the food to give him some addition vitamins and good stuff.

If I do partake in the food I've made for him I will serve myself a smaller portion - like @JanolaBarbara and log it, serve it in a small bowl, and always preface all meals with a big salad, a side of steamed or raw shredded veggies.

If we do eat out, if its weekdays I will just order a small everything and skimp quite heavily on the carbs as he usually eats at places that can be very heavy on rich and fattening foods (i.e Indian, Middle Eastern cuisine). I will not have anything sweet either, and I will try to log it anyway - I tend to have a habit of overestimating but that's not a bad thing.

If we eat out on weekends I'm happy to pig out with him to a reasonable degree so long as its within what I have planned for.

We went through a period of time where he wasn't very understanding or supportive of my goals and kept suggesting I eat with him, or offering food repeatedly to me, including junk food, but a good talking to a few times helped him understand how much it meant to me, the diet, and his understanding. He took it well and tries to accommodate me as much as I try to accommodate him.

We've also gone through a period of eating out for consecutive weeks and I didn't lose much weight but I didn't gain weight because I did the above - less carb, more protein, smaller portions and I try to drink lots of warm drinks to sort of soothe my occasional itch to eat as much as he does.

Cahgetsfit · July 2015

what other people have said.

I am the only one on a diet at my place too. My husband eats whatever and put on 0 weight. My daughter is 4 and eats only egg on toast, plain white rice, plain pasta and fruit. So basically, I cook for husband and I but I weight out my portions and pick and choose bits of the meal.

The thing that makes it easier for me is that generally we don't eat at the same time as I'm starving when I get home from work and eat then, and he likes to eat at 9pm - when I'm tucked in bed!

ninerbuff · July 2015

Sweetie_1103 wrote: »

I have tried to look through as much threads as I could and did not find this so if there is already a post on this, please let me know.

I am wondering how people are dealing when no one else in the house is watching their diet/calories. I have started working with MFP but my husband is not interested in changing his diet at all, still eating chips often and wanting to eat out a lot. I can't impose these changes on him so I was wondering if you guys and gals had any tips on how to make it work... not give in... find some sort of middle ground?

You're right, you can't impose what you're doing on him. It's not in his interest to diet and lose weight or else he'd do it too.
If you eat out, then only eat half of your entree and take the rest home. If he's going to eat chips, let him, but don't let him entice you to join him.
Really it's all you can do. You'll be bombarded each and every day with temptations to overeat (notice that I said you CAN'T eat foods you like) not only at home, but everywhere else you go. So commitment and discipline will help you to create a "stop" habit.

Also I wrote a thread about this awhile back:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10134341/you-arent-always-going-to-get-support/p1

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

editorgrrl · July 2015

faithyang wrote: »

We went through a period of time where he wasn't very understanding or supportive of my goals and kept suggesting I eat with him, or offering food repeatedly to me, including junk food, but a good talking to a few times helped him understand how much it meant to me, the diet, and his understanding. He took it well and tries to accommodate me as much as I try to accommodate him.

^This.

OP, you're right that you can't change your husband. But you need to tell him how important this is to you, and explain what you need from him. He can't help you unless you talk to him.

And maybe take a walk every night after dinner, or find an activity you both enjoy? Go karts, paintball, laser tag, putt putt, kite flying, bowling, dancing, basketball…

Being the only one in the household to watch my diet...

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